When Lent Gets Inconvenient

My birthdays coming up during lent, I have so many offers for free foods and all including a meal at my favorite restaurant (which I was 100% planning on using) but I’m giving up carbs for lent. That’s the only day that’ll be really tough. Please pray for me :)

Father Mike God bless you always and forever. I love you. You actually got me started going to the Blessed Sacrament again because I had stopped going.🙏🏻💕🙏🏻

Father Mike God bless you always and forever. I love you. You actually got me started going to the Blessed Sacrament again because I had stopped going.🙏🏻💕🙏🏻

Romans 14:17
It's not a matter of what we eat or drink but of living a righteous life, of peace, and and joy in the Holy Spirit.

You may be a priest, but you are also a human being, and like the rest of us, subject to temptation, and the desire to sin. How many times have you told us? Yes God I know you what you want, but this is what I want.

When my faith was challenged the most, as a young adult, I decided to dive deepest into the Catholic faith, and educated myself the most. Now I've decided to become a Christian Universalist, and that philosophy makes most sense to me, today.

<3

Hopefully I can find an answer but I can’t listen to my type of music at all?

Beautiful message

Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.

When does lent end?

A blessed Easter to all! Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for your great sacrifice on our behalf!

If it's hard for you, imagine for me that my birthday is almost always during Lent - sometimes at Easter, fortunately 🙄🤣😇

Thank you Father!

Thank you for this message. Your point about love being inconvenient helped me see it in a new light. It's always more convenient to be self-centered.

Anybody experience stronger spiritual/demonic attacks during Lent? I just got in a traffic altercation, extremely stressful days at work, a number of bad news on future plans, onslaught of unending negative thoughts.

IF JESUS HEALED THE BLIND AND THE CRIPPLE DURING HIS LIFE ON EARTH, WHY DOESN’T HE PERFORM THOSE MIRACLES NOW?? WHY DOESN’T THE BLIND AND THE CRIPPLE ARE HEALED IN THIS ERA? WHY NOT NOW??

I fast everyday for forty days (only one small meal a day no meat and no dairy). Wednesday and Friday I fast the whole day, pray the rosary 📿 everyday, I feed my rice bowl everyday for charity at the end of forty days.
I feel the inconvenience and I feel closer to Jesus. I am very pleased and I do not miss the meals and I enjoy my prayers. I always look forward for lent it is passion and love for God.
Thanks so much father for your time making this videos and educating us about lent and God.
You are always in my prayers. 🙏

This is a change in paradigm to hear your thoughts about Lent Fr Mike . I was gratefully shaken .thank you

Interesting! My mom always taught us that Sundays were not part of Lent, hence no fast/abstinence an Sundays. Is this incorrect?😯

God Gave us Commandments and Jesus. They are all we Need. If You Obey the Commandments and Forgive Yourself and Others you will Live in Peace and Health. All these added commandments are Mens..Just like Jesus Told the Pharisees. “ Stop teaching for Doctrine the commandments of men.” 😊❤

REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND.
YOU CATHOLICS NEED TO REPENT, AND BE BORN AGAIN.
If you are not BORN AGAIN, you CANNOT enter into the Kingdom of God.
Read John 3:1-5.

Fr Schmitz,
On a different subject, is reading your horoscope a mortal sin

Great video , my friend gave up Facebook for lent ...the simplicity of Lent is to Love God , but some have to eat, nourish , Pregnancy, Diabetes, I was told by a devout Catholic give up your pleasures, not just praying and fasting...and not during Lent , our whole life . Giving up our flesh daily , carrying our cross daily....God judges the heart .❤️✝️🙏☝️

The 40-day fast of Lent is said to commemorate the 40-day fast of Christ. Yet, Jesus never commanded his disciples to commemorate his fast, nor is there any evidence that they did so. The first reliable mention of the 40-day fast before Easter is thought to be in letters of Athanasius, dated 330 C.E.

you seem a bit agitated 😅

Amen!

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Father Mike, speak slowly for God's sake.

The one good thing about lent is all that Easter chocolate at the end of it and the chocolate that I eat while I wait for Easter. ❤❤❤

=(

Sunday is not just the "weekend". It's the Sabbath and we are invited by the Church to take a break from penance on that day.

Love you, but u talk too fast.

My daughter has her swimming State competition every year it's the same time of year. It always fall during lent! We now have a church we go to every time we are there and I take the time to do my prayers and also ubstain from meat it's not easy. And up till now I never thought of it as an inconvenience but as the commitment that I had made. I wasn't always perfect in the past while there but always tried my best! I will be there is up coming weekend so again it will be a challenge that I hope to follow through with and get closer the the Lord in the process! Tha ks so much Father Mike for your honesty and candor! Take care God bless!🙏🙏👏

Love without counting the cost

If we don't choose to love forever, we will find it difficult to love even for one day.

How do I explain why we don't eat meat on Friday, and does not eating meat apply to everyone over 14 (unless certain conditions)?

❤

Great topic and solutions.

Thank you Father Mike for encouraging with your wisdom and enthusiasm to live this lent as an act of love!

I have desired to unite myself with the Lord for all 40 days. The thought comes every Lent that Jesus ,who was human as well as Divine, didn't eat anything at all in the dessert.....we don't know maybe the manna did fall down from heaven,maybe the angels ministered to Him and provided water,we just don't know. For a human body can't go without water for 40 days, and we have witnessed those people on hunger strikes for a cause and see they can last quite awhile ,but they look weak and frail. So I am not suggesting to avoid everything , but I am saying if we desire to be closer to our Lord Jesus Christ doing so for 40 days is possible.
I also desire to reject Satan ,its very personal to reject Satan during the liturgical season of Lent.I do not even want to enter into conversation with that dark one! I have to prove to him ,more than myself that he has no place within me.
So then I focus not only on what can I do within this schedule of mine, for the motivation will wane.,I don't I have enough discipline on my own to do that. Focusing on that I am a disciple of Christ and I have a mission to go out and practice the the Word of God each week!....Don't allow the devil to creep into your mission and you will not falter. Focus on uniting yourself with Jesus and pushing satan away! Arm yourself with the same scripture passages Jesus gave to Satan. Make those your Mantra,wear them over you like a mantle and you can make it through Lent!

That being said I am human with the stain of original sin so I have still failed. What did I do differently when I failed so I could begin again? Make a sincere confession ,we are supposed to go at least once per month, so during Lent if you need to go more often that is actually helpful for it is a season of repentance! Another option ,make a sincere Act of Contrition until you are able to make it to the confessional, and reunite with Christ by feasting on something Lent FEASTING what that is ridiculous you say, but our Pastor told us long ago that Fasting and Feasting go hand in hand. So when I chose to give up gossiping for Lent as my fast then I needed to feast on praising others more...find the good in them speak to it. Again use examples Jesus provides us with. These are challenging ,but rewarding! I guarantee you will come out a different person after these 40 days of Lent if you Focus on these 2 things only Uniting yourself with Christ in His journey and pushing satan away but turning a deaf ear to him! His is the loud voice ,its easy to recognize, Jesus is the quiet calm voice. So practice sitting with Jesus at the foot of the crucifix in your home or in your church, or at Adoration Chapel. Every Catholic should procure a crucifix for at least one room in their home.(the crucifix should be blessed by your priest before placing it on the wall) Ours is over our bed. Start with 10 or 15 min. Do Not ask for anything simply say as Samuel did Speak Lord your servant is Listening. Once,twice, 3 times. That is it. Do this every day you will hear from Him. If this practice is easier for you by leaving your home and going to church or chapel do that. if not close or even lock the door to your upper room and practice this meditation there.

I apologize for the length of the post ,but I was feeling so compelled to share this that the words and examples poured out of me. There have been SOOOOOO many videos on this subject I have been bombarded with them in my inbox or on you tube.I feel like the Lord was telling me YOU I chose you to share from your experience ,go out and be my disciple! So I have answered the call as Samuel, I rose from my bed and did this.( I have a disability so I sleep very little, I believe God wants me to use the extra waking hours in prayer time so my life was adjusted accordingly to work for Him on 3rdshift.)
Peace be with you and praise be to God for all who chose to read to the end. May our Lord change your life through your renewed commitment to Him! Amen!

Ah yes, so true. Thanks for the convenient reminder of 'inconvenient' truth that we sacrifice for Jesus!!

Father Mike, I have detected a conflict in your videos in which you define fasting. I point this out only to seek clarification. In one video (How to Be a Practicing Catholic), you said fasting is 2 small meals and one regular size meal that does exceed the size of the 2 small meals combined. In this video you defined fasting as 1 regular size meal and 2 smaller meals that combined do not exceed the size of the regular size meal. Which is correct?

I am over 60 years old so I am exempt? I will do what I can...

I’m 14 years old I wasn’t able to attend mass I am very grateful that I was able to attend virtually. This three ways that Jesus avoids sin are genius. Father mike and the ascension team I am in the process of confirmation in the diosce of the lady of the bright mt in Los Angeles it’s a polish church. Using your guys program has been life changing for me I read the Bible every day, I’m excited to go the church I find so much deep wisdom in the homily and gospels now. I’m a changed person. Thank you so much

Unrelated, but why St Michael the archangel is a Saint? He is not human and is already holy since he is in the presence of God, and why then no other angel is holded as Saint?

Letting and Letting God is the hardest thing to do! God bless. Praise Jesus and Mary always!!!

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I didn't watch this until Sat. after Ash Wednesday; was pretty depressed b/c I didn't succeed on Day One of one of my sacrifices. Didn't understand Lenten "interruption" until Fr Mike explained it here. THANK YOU, Father, for the "normal" vs. "Lenten" sacrifice. You've blessed me so much in so many ways - you are God's Warrior. As a convert, I needed so much more instruction after Formation (32 yrs ago) - technology enabled your videos, BIAY & CIAY. I'm still learning and appreciate your instruction. God bless you.

🙏🕯🌹🕊❤️